An Experiment in the Collaboration between HBO and WO
A scientist and his wife are out for a drive in the country. The wife says, “Oh, look! Those sheep have been shorn.”
“Yes,” says the scientist. “On this side.”
What a wonderful way to express in just a couple of sentences that there are many ways of looking at reality. We all look, see, experience and learn in our own way. Today’s world has come closer together and become more diverse, yet more unpredictable and sometimes, even frightening. At the same time, this tangible and all-pervading closeness provides many new possibilities, views and opportunities.
To be inquisitive and not take anything for granted, to explore and not be afraid to start over again, to try things and look at them from unexpected angles and multiple perspectives—it is all terribly important, and it is all part of and inextricably linked to creative thinking. In my opinion, this inquisitive, creative attitude fits perfectly with education and its purpose. Unpredictability is not a problem when there is a curiosity and a drive to make a difference in the world.
Whether performing artist, scientist or teacher, an open, inquisitive and collaborative attitude is of crucial importance, not just within one’s own discipline, but if one is to be a full member of society. This means we have to take a radical look at our present educational system. If we want to have an interactive learning environment, we have to expand our framework or even remove it altogether where necessary. The only reason why I love framework is that it shows me exactly how I can skilfully operate beyond its borders. In anarchy with a purpose, new relevant and meaningful possibilities announce themselves outside of these frames of reference.
The Rotterdam Arts and Sciences Lab (RASL) is unique in its education and research, as outlined in this collection of essays. But the essays are actually just representations of and elaborations on the essence of RASL. For me, its essence lies in the deliberately designed interaction among various disciplines and how this interaction is applied in various social contexts. The name says it all: it is the Rotterdam Arts and Sciences Lab, a laboratory and a breeding ground, a sanctuary for facilitating the broadest possible development of talent. Think of great examples such as Aristotle (the first homo universalis), Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein.
Unfortunately, nowadays—in spite of the wish to be innovative and future-oriented—we have become experts in framing and prematurely delineating the potential that everyone has to a greater or lesser extent. Choices have to be made at an early age; for example, the choice of future disciplinary pursuit is made in the third year of VO (Dutch secondary education), and educational paths are established and options are diminished. This totally contradicts current scholastic developments which require a very different type of education and a different mind-set and attitude from the students. Examples of such developments are educational labs, blended learning and peer feedback.
RASL’s urgency lies in wanting to react to and anticipate this changing world of education and professional practice, to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to face these challenges and sustain excellence in their discipline of art or science, to make them sensitive to their surroundings and able to apply their talents to their fullest capabilities when realising social impact, and to contribute to an idealism that is personal, concrete and practical.
RASL is also about sharing our creative and scientific expertise as institutions, enriching Dutch education and effectuating social impact in many areas and sectors—on stage, in neighbourhoods, in laboratories or in industry.
In this essay I want to discuss three aspects of our social engagement: reacting to and anticipating a changing labour market, working on social issues and sharing knowledge from a creative perspective.
The changing labour market
In art education, we have known for years that the labour market is radically changing. The current climate of cultural subsidy-dependence and short-term thinking driven by a “score quick” attitude is a contributing factor. But society wants something else from us. The days in which a conservatoire graduate would automatically move on to a permanent place in an orchestra are definitely behind us. For dancers, the labour market has changed at least as much, and there has never been an established labour market for circus artists in the Netherlands.
This changing labour market has a major impact on the qualities demanded of future artists in their craft. It is a complicated issue for all art universities: how do we maintain the strengths of our artistic education while at the same time incorporating these other necessary skills in the curriculum?
In addition, it is no longer the case that art students automatically remain in the professional field of art. In numerous sectors of the labour market, art and culture demonstrate their added value: from dance therapy to cultural education, from reintegration to city marketing. A high artistic level is valuable everywhere and cultivating this does not contradict providing a broader perspective for the careers of students.
With the research, educational innovation and double degree of RASL, we are not only taking an ambitious step to better prepare our students for this diverse labour market but also fulfilling the wish of many young students for a broader development. Why, as stated earlier, do you have to choose? The programmes within RASL are not for students who are unable to choose but for students who are unwilling to choose. Thanks to RASL, they now have the opportunity to develop themselves simultaneously in both an artistic and academic way, so that they can lead in the labour market of the future and even be instrumental in its development. The aim is to facilitate our students in this endeavour as best we can while playing an active role in the debate on the art profession and the position of the artist-researcher today.
Social issues
The world is full of challenging social problems begging for a solution. They are almost always interdisciplinary issues involving multiple disciplines. Wicked problems such as climate change and inclusiveness require bringing together diverse professional knowledge and skills, especially an overarching skill: the talent to think in a transdisciplinary way. It is a form of thinking that is also strongly reflected in the debate about 21st century skills in education—creativity, collaboration and dealing with diversity in all its aspects. Real solutions require integrative thinking.
In RASL this is achieved by having students work on realistic cases, by having them apply knowledge outside of the classroom: an urban outdoor education in the setting of Rotterdam, a city which has more than its share of urban issues. The experiences gained by Codarts students are applied in performances given throughout the city, for example at the Big Day Festival and during our project week Incubator. The Willem de Kooning Academy and Erasmus University Rotterdam also have many years of experience in engaging beyond the classroom and with the city.
Work on social issues is also reflected in our fast-growing research agenda: art has value in and of itself (art for art’s sake), but it is also very valuable in solving social problems (art for society). Take, for example, the innovative research by Codarts professors of applied science Janine Stubbe, on the health of performing artists and top athletes, and Micha Hamel, on the gamification of classical music as an innovative way of providing a new boost to audience attendance at concert halls. In my view, applied artistic research is not an empty phrase but rather an extra reason to invest heavily in art and culture. Applied research enhances the social added value of professional art education, especially in combination with the academic depth that RASL provides.
Dissemination of knowledge
Social engagement also means that we want to share all of our knowledge and insights with others. It is one of the reasons why the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) supports and facilitates what we do. RASL challenges the traditional binary system of universities of applied sciences (HBO) and universities (WO). The Dutch educational system is constantly evolving, but it can also be a mammoth oil tanker that does not change course easily. Art education, in collaboration with other educational and professional partners, can provide the exciting testing ground for both renewing education and enhancing the synergy between education and society.
RASL cannot do this on its own. Paradigm shifts often start small, and they can only be successful when they become an avalanche. Good ideas without followers remain just that. This is why RASL is highly dedicated to sharing present and evolving knowledge in all sorts of ways—this collection of essays, a large international seminar, testimonials by students, the publication of research results—and in collaboration with other educational institutes, both in the Netherlands and abroad. Generating social engagement and impact means initiating a movement and giving the RASL approach a full-fledged position in the educational system. If we just go on thinking within the safety of our own walls and look upon the dissemination of knowledge as a threat to our identity, then we ignore the impact RASL can have.
These three aspects of social engagement within RASL make us try even harder. They take nothing away from the beauty and independent relevance of the artistic and the academic, but they demonstrate how transdisciplinarity enriches both. And they especially demonstrate that we provide an important service to our students. We have to set out a new course and expand our frames of reference or even exchange them for a flexible, open, interactive learning environment where the only limitations are our creativity and our ability to be open and sensitive to our surroundings.
Open communication between art, science, work and the living environment. Creating a world that constantly surprises us through passion, art and knowledge and shows us the other side of things. A new framework.
No art without society, no society without art.
